Bulgarian prosecutor's office to indict former government officials

09/05/2008

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- The Prosecutor's Office plans to indict former Interior Minister Rumen Petkov and Angel Alexandrov, the former director of investigating magistrates, next week, according to Friday's (May 9th) Trud newspaper. Prosecution sources say Petkov will be charged with the non-premeditated revealing of confidential information, punishable by a fine or up to five years imprisonment. He revealed the identity of a secret police agent on national media. By law, parliament must consent to any trial against Petkov due to his immunity as an MP. In Bulgaria, ministers preserve their MP seats if they leave the cabinet. Alexandrov will most probably face criminal charges related to abuse of power for allegedly maintaining contacts with mobsters.

Local media reports suggest convictions against either of the officials would send a strong signal to the European Commission that local authorities are working to fight corruption and organised crime. (Trud, bTV, BNR, Netinfo - 09/05/08)

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